UCSF is an institution of higher learning where tomorrow’s leaders in the life sciences, health care and health policy receive high-quality education and training. By recruiting the top faculty members, students, residents, and staff nationwide, UCSF — a community of the best and the brightest — sustains its reputation for excellence in education, discovery, and clinical care.

At UCSF, our learners approach health care challenges with critical thinking and a spirit of inquiry. As tomorrow's health and science leaders in training, UCSF students embody our passion for advancing the health of our communities.

Our learners train across the specialties in leading national accredited and non-accredited programs, across the specialties; graduates are enrolled in interdepartmental degree programs in basic and translational sciences, social and population sciences and clinical sciences.

UCSF Residents and Fellows - COVID-19 Care: Residents and fellows are expected to be part of the planning and care of COVID-19 patients/suspected patients in the context of their specialty programs.ACGME guidance

Required Form for External COVID-19 Volunteer and Work Activities: All students involved in COVID-19 external volunteer efforts, elective or paid activities that increase your risk of contracting COVID-19, must sign this form and return to Lee Jones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Prometric Sites/Board Exams - Updated June 2, 2020

Could you provide more details around UCSF as the temporary Prometric Testing Center and security around STEP exams?

Procedure and security protocols will be almost identical to the Prometric Center, except we will not be using a scanning wand because of physical distancing requirements.

The testing center at UCSF will open at 7 a.m. Exams will start no later than 8:00 a.m. When you arrive you’ll be met at the front door by a greeter. You’ll show certification that you’ve passed your UCSF online health screening for that day, provide your name, expiration date and time for that approval, and you’ll be escorted to second floor. We’re using all Prometric equipment, which is currently being set up and tested. You’ll be photographed, show your government-issued ID, be assigned a testing station, and will be monitored by digital cameras. During the exam there will be regular proctoring. We will be doing a wrist test in which you will show your wrist and empty pockets. If you have any belongings, you’ll likely leave those at the entrance. Test administrators and proctors will be present all the time. We encourage you to not bring a lot of belongings. For breaks, you will have to check out through the administrator and check back in. Overall the experience will be very similar to any standardized testing procedures you’ve done in the past.

What is the status on Step 2 CS?

USMLE has suspended Step 2 CS for the next 12-18 months. Step 2 CS Will not be a graduation requirement for class of 2021. The USMLE is working on setting up refunds for students who had already scheduled this.

Is it possible for Step 1/2 will be school proctored? We hear that this is something that may be happening at other schools given the disaster that has been Prometric scheduling.

The NBME is actively looking into this and we anticipate an announcement at the end of May.

I’d love to know if the deans have advocated for an opt-in P/F option for Step 1?

Yes, in fact Dean Lucey and Dean Hauer publicly advocated for moving Step 1 to pass/fail. We considered this a shared a success when the NBME announced they would be moving to a pass/fail Step 1 exam in 2022. The NBME has not been able to accelerate this timeline in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic as there are organizational challenges with making such a large-scale nationwide change. However, we will continue to advocate on your behalf. We are very sorry for the additional stress this has caused.

If we take Step 2 CK in September, will our scores return in time for ERAS?

It depends on when in September. Remember that the scores are usually reported 3-4 weeks after taking the exam. Remember also that you have the ability to submit your scores to programs after the initial ERAS date, and this is common for many applicants.

How can I schedule a testing date for Step 1 or Step 2 CK?

USMLE announced that while Prometric sites will remain closed through May 31, 2020, some USMLE exams are considered essential and resume in limited capacity starting May 1.

We know this is an understandable source of stress for many students because some Prometric sites are reopening but canceling some students in order to maintain social distancing.

The USMLE, which controls where examinations can be administered is looking into other options such as giving Step exams in proctored settings at medical schools or remotely with virtual proctoring. The USMLE will be announcing new testing sites at the end of May.

In the meantime, if you are experiencing difficulty, please contact Prometric

We are committed to completing our analysis of these options and delivering testing solutions by June 30th. Subsequent efforts to scale these solutions to help address the backlog will occur in July.”

Many students are wondering when or how much to study when a Step testing date is uncertain. While there is no one right answer, in general students should continue to do some ongoing review of content, i.e. doing U World questions, watch their email closely for updates, and realize that this problem is affecting all schools nationally. There is no serious discussion of reducing the number of applications or interviews.

We understand how challenging this is. Many students are wondering when or how much to study when a Step testing date is uncertain. While there is no one right answer, in general students should continue to do some ongoing review of content, i.e. doing U World questions, watch their email closely for updates, and realize that this problem is affecting all schools nationally. Pace your studying and be prepared for exams that could be rescheduled. If you need help determining priorities and balancing competing demands, please contact the student experience team.

What are the chances that Step 1 will not be a requirement for applying to residency? If it isn’t required, will this mean that people who already took it won’t have to report their score if they aren’t happy with it?

As of now, this is not a topic of discussion.

While we appreciate that UCSF will change timelines for Step 1/Step 2CK/CS, what is the administration doing to support students who are applying in September 2021?

If students are able to take Step 1 / 2CK by July at the latest (per USMLE plan), they will have time to do a sub-I (now) and get Step done. For those who have not yet taken Step 1, they could then take 2CK later in the fall. The education deans are advocating on students’ behalf with the USMLE and AAMC. We hope to have better national guidance by mid-May.

Could UCSF become a testing site (going beyond Prometric)?

The National Board is considering allowing schools to administer proctored Step exams. We do not yet know whether this will be allowed; if it is, UCSF would plan to participate.

COVID-19 Testing, Precautions, and PPE - Updated June 3, 2020

How is medical education helping with updated student mask fitting?

If you are a Career Launch student who needs an updated mask fitting for the rotation you are in now, please contact Valerie Jones.

The Student Experience Team is also working with Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) at UCSF to schedule a medical student mask fitting session during ARCH week 8 (August).

Do you have any recommendations regarding precautions to avoid infection when we travel for clinical rotations or for volunteer activities?

Public transit is aware of risks to infection and trying to minimize interaction between passengers and drivers and the number of people on each train. Pay for public transit using the rear doors to minimize contact with drivers. When you get off of public transit, use hand sanitizer and wash your hands.

Remember, students are considered essential members of the healthcare team so that they may continue to advance towards graduation and support the health care teams as they are. This means that they may come to campus for educational experiences that require on-campus presence (e.g., sub-internships) and also ride UCSF shuttles.

UCSF medical students were provided a letter, which in conjunction with your valid UCSF ID, prove that you are essential members of the care team at UCSF Health and Core Affiliates. We recommend carrying a printed copy of the letter, and your UCSF ID when you leave your residence. If you have any questions or need a copy of the letter, please contact DoQuyen Tran-Taylor.

Will periodic testing for asymptomatic students/students with chronic respiratory conditions be made available through UCSF if desired to alay anxiety about unwittingly transmitting COVID-19? If not available through UCSF, does the school have guidance about asymptomatic testing as offered by the city?

A group is looking at screening practices for students, faculty, and staff across the campus, and their recommendations will be communicated as soon as they are available.

Should people wear cloth masks in a public setting?

Bay Area residents are now required to wear face coverings in public settings while riding transit, grocery shopping, standing in line at a store or doing anything else that puts them near others.

Is it really necessary to wear a mask when outside exercising?

If you’re walking or not sure of your environment, it is prudent to wear a mask. If you’re running or cycling, it’s not necessary because you’re only transiently next to others and the chance of transmission is very low.

If we experience extreme shortages of PPE will students continue to serve as essential personnel? I am worried about using PPE. What is the rationale for giving learners PPE when there is a shortage of PPE nationally?

Career Launch students will NOT be involved in the direct care of patients who have known or suspected COVID-19. We are focusing your efforts on patients who don’t require that level of PPE. We will not let students work without appropriate PPE and we will not have students use PPE that is needed by more autonomous health care workers. UCSF received a very large (hundreds of thousands) of surgical masks the week of March 30, courtesy of the UCSF donor community. This influx has allowed us to move to the universal daily mask approach outlined above. Production lines are ramping up, and we hope PPE shortages will be mitigated soon.

How and when do I get tested for COVID-19?

According to the CDC, if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms such as cough or difficulty breathing, contact Student Health and Counseling Services for instructions on assessment and testing. If you are asymptomatic but had exposure they will advise whether or not you should be self quarantined and self-monitor for symptoms. Even if you are asymptomatic, if you have had an exposure, you should report it.

Given that student support funding has gone to hiring student health personnel, how can we as students access COVID tests?

Testing of asymptomatic people is still not advised on an individual basis.

How confident are we as physicians in the tests being used to diagnose COVID?

There was an issue in the early tests released by the CDC, but it has been since been addressed. The CDC has also allowed other tests to be developed at other institutions (including at Stanford and UCSF). That has facilitated not only accuracy but also access, which has been a larger issue. All the tests that we are relying on now are PCR tests and next gen sequencing tests. People are working on serologic tests. Those are on the horizon, which will be helpful from an epidemiological perspective. There has been a big upswing on institutions developing and getting approval for their tests rather than relying on test kits from CDC. The more we test, the more we’ll find out about the biological behavior of this virus.

What is the barrier to testing?

The US didn't want to use the WHO test and tried to develop their own test, but that didn't work out very well. FDA allowed individual labs to do their own testing, but it had to be validated, that took a few weeks. UCSF was able to change a research lab to a clinical lab to scale up. UCSF can do 4k tests a day, but we don't have enough swabs. They are specialized swabs, which are cheap, but production lines dried up, and swabs aren't made in the US. UCSF is trying to validate alternative swabs and we're evaluating non swab methods.

What about beards and PPEs?

People who have facial hair or facial structures that causes a N95 mask to not seal properly should use a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) which covers the entire face.

Career Launch (Class of 2020) - Updated April 17, 2020

What does my curriculum look like as of April 1, 2020?

Students who have a required Medicine Sub-internship left: Your sub-internship is still operational and you should report to that site on April 1, 2020, ready to work unless you have received alternative directions from your director. Please speak with Dean Jones if you have questions.

Students who have a required 140 rotation that is not the medicine sub-internship have the following options

Continue on with the rotation if the department is still able to accommodate you

Students with a residual Tier 2 (elective) requirement can participate in a Medical Education Rotation to support the learning of your F2 colleagues and can also volunteer to provide COVID-19 support as needed by the health systems or complete work on your Deep Explore project.

What do we do if our Sub-I's are cancelled? What alternatives are you considering?

All students must complete their Medicine Sub-I (or FCM sub-I) in order to graduate. If you have another Sub-internship scheduled and it is available, you should participate in that rotation. Sub-internships in emergency medicine, ophthalmology and intensive care have been converted to intensive study remote learning experiences to allow students to complete these prior to graduation. If you are scheduled for a different sub-internship that is not available because of the pandemic, you will be contacted and offered a different approach to meeting your requirements.

Coda will be delivered online. Some sessions may be mandatory synchronous sessions.

Is the Deep Explore Symposium cancelled?

Yes, the in-person Deep Explore symposium is cancelled. However, students will still be required to submit a final poster presentation in accordance with the Deep Explore requirement. More details will be coming from the Inquiry team.

Will the COVID Response rotation be available for 2-week rotations for fourth years?

This is a great suggestion. Availability for the COVID-response rotation will be determined based on the needs of the health system. We will take this under consideration.

Career Launch (Class of 2021) - Updated June 2, 2020

What does my curriculum look like as of April 1, 2020?

Learners whose scheduled clinical sub-internship is unavailable may:

Participate in departmentally orchestrated Specialty Supervised Rotation which will focus on the medical knowledge content of your Specialty sub-internship. These are available for students who were previously scheduled for Emergency Medicine, Intensive Care, or Ophthalmology for April 2020.

Sub-internships/Scheduling/Attendance

This is possible, but before we can finalize decisions, we need to know when SPAN can start. Once we know when we will be able to start up, again we will finalize this decision.

Can we get an update on SPAN?

We are still awaiting assignment for SPAN. We should have an update on SPAN in the next two-4 weeks after we receive guidance from UCSF Health. In the meantime, if you have specific questions or suggestions regarding the SPAN requirement, please reach out to the Course Director Katherine Lupton.

Can we get an update on policies surrounding symptom screenings, temperature checks, COVID testing for students, and attendance as more and more of us go back to rotations?

Screening is a moving target, and different depending upon the healthsystem. Your rotation coordinator will be able to tell you what is required at each healthsystem. The good news is that testing availability is increasing. When tested, you will receive results in 24-36 hours.

If you have symptoms, please report them and submit your absence. Your safety and the safety of patients is most important. We will work with any student who has COVID related symptoms and you will not be penalized for reporting you are sick.

If you are asymptomatic, please wear your masks, and be good ambassadors for masking.

How far in advance should we reach out to get information about our May Sub-Internships (sub-Is)?

A general rule of thumb is that if it is two weeks before the start of your sub-I and you haven’t heard anything about the sub-I, then contact the sub-I coordinator. You can find out who your sub-I coordinator is by visiting here: https://coursecatalog.ucsf.edu/. Of course, if you have an urgent request, and the sub-I is cancelled, please let Wenia Lee know.

Where can I find the list of available sub-Is? Where can I find the list of available virtual electives?

The list of available courses, including sub-Is and electives, are now available on Medhub. Once you log in, click on "Manage Enrollment" then select the "Course Catalog" tab. You can then sort the catalog by academic term. Courses that have availability will be indicated by a green "Add" button.

Are the changes referenced to sub-I’s for summer term or beyond?

We are flexible. We don’t know how long the pandemic will go on or when there will be treatment or vaccine.

When will 4a students likely be ranking electives for October - March 2021?

We will reschedule the Round 2 Scheduling process once courses have stabilized. We will provide an update on this by mid-April.

What is the status of Deep Explore?

Many Deep Explore projects are continuing and others are changing. In addition, some students are working on COVID-related research activities. If there are issues related to your research project, let your Inquiry Advisor know.

Do the sub-Is that were reclassified as electives meet the sub-I requirement?

Yes. Please keep in mind that the move from a sub-I to an elective means that it is no longer an honors-eligible rotation, but it will still “count” toward the rotation requirement. For those who are taking the rotation in order to be eligible for honors, or who want the clinical experience, we suggest scheduling it later in the year when clinical time will likely be more available.

Career Advising/Residency Applications/CIEX

What guidance do you have for students who can’t take Step 2 CK before residency applications are due?

With Prometric centers and 6 regional centers opening at medical schools including UCSF, availability for Step 1 and Step 2 CK exams has increased by 4,000 per month. There shouldn’t be a scheduling reason to not take it. We’re hearing from individual specialty societies about what is changing and while some programs might not look as closely at these scores, many programs will still require them. We recommend that you take the test and get it out of the way because you’ll get a higher score closer to when you took your core clerkships.

How can students who have not finished MSPE research projects before their residency applications are due address this in their applications?

If you have something accepted like an abstract or a publication, you can send it to LJ Moore McLelland and we can include that in your MSPE. If it’s still under review at the tine the MSPE goes out, you can include that you have done the scholarly work with a description of your project and your role – in your personal statement, activities list, and interviews.

There’s also a place on the ERAS application where you put down research the status of your research project. If you have an updated piece of information such as a new accepted manuscript after October, you can send the update directly to residency programs, but make sure you send separate emails to each residency program.

Are UCSF residency programs going to consider our own medical students more favorably in this round?

We anticipate that applicants will choose to stay closer to their current regions, but residencies will still be interested in accepting people from across the country. This question applies nationally. This is the first year residency programs are doing virtual interviews and we’ll know more as interviews start.
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Will there be changes to the residency application process this year?

All UCSF Away Rotations have been suspended.

Residency application dates have changed. See below:

June 8, 2020:
ERAS 2021 Begins - Applicants can register in MyERAS and begin working on their applications.

When will a final decision be made regarding in-person vs. virtual residency interviews?

There will be virtual interviews at UCSF and we are working with the other deans to have a system wide approach that aligns with that. The national guideline is for virtual interviews; we will see how many programs follow this guideline.

Could UCSF provide resources (private rooms, mock interviews, computers/equipment) to students for virtual interviews this Fall?

Yes. We will look into the possibility of giving students the option to access rooms for virtual interviews. Please give us time to work on this, and we will keep you updated.

For students taking a year off, how will applying for residency in 2021 be impacted? Do you think that next year will have high numbers of students (from both gap year students and incoming students) applying into limited residency spots?

No, we are not seeing that trend here at UCSF. Our numbers of students taking a leave of absence are the same as in prior years.

Will residency programs be getting more applications given COVID disruptions and also virtual interviews?

This is quite possible. We have advocated at the national level to have a cap on the number of applications per student, based on data that the AAMC has published about the ideal number of applications per student in a given specialty. The Coalition specifically did NOT endorse this approach. We work hard to advise our students to apply wisely based on their academic portfolio and their chosen specialty. More is not necessarily better.

Given residency programs will not have access to ERAS until October, is it anticipated that the interview season will also be delayed 1 month? How should we schedule rotations this fall to allow for interviews?

Yes, interviews generally start in October/November. This year they will likely begin in late October, November. Scheduling around rotations should be easier since you will not be traveling for interviews. Since interviews are being done virtually, you will only need to plan for 2 hour blocks of times for interviews.

Will the MSPE timeline be adjusted to reflect the 1 month delay in application process?

The MSPE will be released on October 21 the same day as the ERAS applications. Your draft of the MSPE will be available for review during ARCH week 6, in August.

Will the MSPE now include evaluations through September?

Evaluations that are submitted by October 11 will be included in the MSPE.

Hopefully, with the expected improvements in testing availability, all will be able to take Step exams to be submitted with the application on or near October 21st. It is not advisable to delay submission waiting for score. Please discuss this with a Career Advisor for special situations.

How are we able to understand fit with a program if we can't meet residents or see the physical sites? Do you anticipate ANY interviews being in person this cycle?

The fact that interviews will be held virtually does not mean you won’t be able to see the physical sites or check for fit. We are working with our own residency on videos and technologies that will allow them to connect with and develop relationships with their applicants. I imagine that programs will have options for you to talk to residents one on one or in groups and to take virtual tours. It isn’t ideal but it is the best we can do during this pandemic. As Dean Jones mentioned, we do think that if the pandemic quiets down, there may be the option of “first look” visits in the beginning of 2021.

What is the deadline for recommendation letters now?

One should aim for having 2-3 letters in for programs’ opening of your application on October 21st. Departmental letters and letters from a September rotation may come in a week or so after October 21st.

Will programs be mostly accepting their own medical students into their programs? Will UCSF programs be doing so?
We don’t know the answer to this. We do think that the pandemic may make some students more interested in staying near their home base rather than moving to a new city—particularly if they haven’t had the chance to visit that city during interviews. We have seen that happen with faculty recruitments—people are craving stability and moving across country may not provide them with that. It would not be surprising to see that residency programs that start in 2021 may have a greater percentage of residents from their own region than in the past.
What is the cap on the number of residency applications per students?

Based on national conversations, we do not think there will be a cap on residency applications or interviews this year.

How can we get this same type of career exploration and exposure with limited clinical opportunities?

We encourage you to utilize our Career Advising Directors - Dr. Heather Whelan and Dr. Brent Kobashi. They are a great resource as you explore different career options. They are working closely with the Career Specialty Advisors to support you as the curriculum and national landscape changes. They will be sharing regular updates with students.

You can also visit our Career Advising website. It has information on different specialties, videos from all the ARCH week career advising sessions, career exploration roadmap and checklists, and a list of the Career Advisors in a variety of specialties who can answer your questions.

I want to apply in internal medicine but am not assigned to an internal medicine sub-I before residency applications are due. Is the school still planning to create sub-I spots for these students?

Yes, we are working with the Department of Medicine to address this and we will work with you and make sure you are prepared to apply for residency.

How should we be approaching away rotations/Sub-Is from a career planning perspective?

We expect a national decision about away rotations in mid-May. In the meantime, individual specialties have provided guidelines on away rotations relevant to residency applications. In addition, UCSF clinical departments have provided specialty-specific guidance. Keep in mind, many clinicians are very busy now, so when you email them, acknowledge you know they are busy with COVID-19, and that you do not expect an immediate response.

Virtual Experience

How will a movement toward more virtual clinical experience impact grading?

If you are just interested in exploring a field, and the elective does not require clinical activities, those electives would be pass/fail. For example, if you are taking a rotation for a letter of recommendation, telehealth and other virtual learning still provides an opportunity for faculty to evaluate students and write letters of recommendation. The rotations we have set up as required clinical rotations, those cannot be non-clinical and will require patient-care component. We are working with the course and clerkship directors to split the rotation in two components, one component may be telehealth which will then be supplemented with an aspect of the rotation which involves in-person clinical care. The rotations we have set up as required clinical rotations must be clinical and will require a patient-care component.

If I am engaged in virtual clinical experience and I live in a small or crowded apartment, how do I maintain HIPAA?

Utilize headsets and earbuds. Disclose your concerns with your attendings and directors to get their advice. Use your best judgment in protecting answers about our patients.

Miscellaneous

What quarantine requirements will be made for Career Launch students returning from outside the Bay Area?

For now, please check with student health about your unique situation. Depending on where you are returning from, the guidelines may change. Campus will be providing more specific information about these guidelines in the next 7-10 days.

May we opt out of having virtual/remote elective summary comments be included in the MSPE?

Some shorter and/or elective rotations have traditionally generated shorter narratives than core clerkships or subinternships. Some rotations have already existed that do not involve face to face patient contact. However, we don’t omit those comments or view that they take away from longer narratives or narratives that discuss your in-person contact with patients and teams. Rather, they provide added information, even if briefly, about patient care skills.

I am a July 2019 start F2 Student, what are my options as of April 1, 2020?

Because you are close to the end of your F2 year and further delay in completing your core clerkships may lead to a delayed graduation, we are prioritizing your clinical rotations along with Career Launch 4a students, that is, after the 4b required sub-internships and before the 2020 F2 students.

Will I lose my vacation?

No, your vacation time should not be disrupted by the changes to Foundations 2. In fact, by taking didactic material now as part of EMLR, it should minimize the didactic time in the later clinical experience rotation. If you have follow-up questions, please reach out to your F2 Advisor, Nikki Williams.

How will changes impact longitudinal integrated (LIC) clerkships?

We have been in contact with our LIC directors. The LICs have verified that they have adequate physician educational capacity and have primarily incorporated students in telehealth and other activities that do not involve direct patient contact. They will continue their schedule of activities, abiding by the same clinical parameters as for traditional clerkship students.

What is going to happen with site-based clerkships like VALOR and Model SFGH?

We are in contact with the directors of each of these programs, who are looking at options to do remote learning and asynchronous learning sessions. They will be in touch.

How will FCM be structured with these changes?

Family and Community Medicine longitudinal rotations will be on hiatus until we can confirm that all sites have the appropriate PPE for our students. In addition, in support of social distancing, we will be suspending rotations that require our students to travel outside of the City of San Francisco. Only telehealth activities will be permitted. During the EMLR rotations, FCM time will still happen on Monday mornings. If there are not small groups happening, the time can be used for cases. The FCM exam is planned for the end of the year, as part of the regular schedule.

Do students need to be in San Francisco between now and July 1st?

While it is possible to participate in this portion of the F2 curriculum remotely, you should be aware of the challenges of returning if clinical clerkships are able to open in May and June. If clinical clerkship sites for students open up earlier than expected, we would expect students to return to UCSF sooner than July. Therefore, if you want to leave the Bay area, and you can based on the status of travel bans, you need to think about if you will have the ability to return to the Bay area sooner than originally planned.

Is there any discussion about F2 being extended into 2021?

Not at this time, but we are continuing to monitor the situation. Our goal is to move students through the curriculum so that you graduate and match on time. We will utilize other instructional methods to help you meet your Doctor of Medicine competencies and milestones.

No, your score will not impact your grade or influence your summary clerkship evaluations. You will complete the exam requirement by taking the assessment. If a clerkship director/coordinator notices that your NBME test score is very low, they may reach out to offer resources to help you master this knowledge.

Can you take the NBME self assessment earlier if you would like?

Yes, you can choose to take the NBME self-assessment earlier in the 3-week mastery learning portion of a clerkship if you feel ready. The requirement is that you take it by the end of the three-week block.

Career Advising/CIEX

For now, the CIEX rotations are cancelled through July. We will reevaluate in July if we have the clinical sites and faculty available to bring the CIEXs back later in the year.

Since we will not have CIEXs, what do you recommend we do to begin our career exploration?

Keep in mind, COVID-19 is a national issue, and specialty organizations and their residency programs are thinking about this on a national scale and discussing possible adjustments necessary. The whole nation is figuring this out. This is not a UCSF-only issue.

Our Career Advising website is a good resource and has videos from all of our ARCH week career advising sessions, a list of specialty and confidential career advisors, post-match reports which includes feedback from graduating students, and career advising checklists.

For information on contacting your specialty advisor, please visit our Specialty Residency Information and Advising page. Many clinicians are very busy now, so if you email them, please acknowledge that you know they are busy with COVID-19, and that you do not expect an immediate response.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to schedule an appointment with Heather Whelan and Brent Kobashi, our Co-Directors of the Career Advising Program. We encourage you to reach out to graduating MS4s who recently matched. They can tell you about how they chose their specialty, and what resources they used in the process of selecting a specialty and applying for residency.

Clinical Experience Rotation Redesign/COVID Rotation Elective

Will students be able to rank or suggest preferences for where they are placed?

We know it’s important to you and want to be able to give you that option so we will do our best to offer you preferences, but we cannot promise this. We are working to determine site availability.
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With these changes, will I miss valuable clinical learning activities that will make me a great doctor?

Please know that any decision your deans and clerkship directors make are based on ensuring these two key priorities 1) our students will develop the skills they need to be a great doctor. 2) our students will develop the skills they need to to be prepared for internship.

We are modifying the existing Foundations 2/Career Launch curriculum to satisfy both of these goals. In regards to your core clerkships, it is important to recognize that it is not the length of the time on the clerkship that determines your competency. We will ensure that you have the educational experiences needed to be a great doctor and meet our milestones. In regards to your Sub-Is to help you prepare for residency, we will be working closely with your specialty advisors and Co-Directors of the Career Advising Program, Heather Whelan and Brent Kobashi, to make sure that you get the experiences you need to meet your career goals.

Is there a way to have more EMLR time for longer clerkships (8 weeks vs. 2 weeks)?

We have been working with the clerkship directors on the design of the EMLR, and the clerkship directors felt that the three week dedicated study blocks are sufficient for learning didactics for each clerkship, and even longer than the time most students will need to learn the material.

What resources are available for students who need help with the transition from the busy clinical clerkship environment to the less structured EMLR?

We know that it can be quite a shift going from the busy clerkship environment to the relatively less-structured EMLR, so we want to encourage you to take advantage of available resources if you find you need help. Susan Whitlow, our learning specialist, and various 4th year medical student tutors are available to help. Please contact Xavier Macy if you are interested in tutoring.

Can students take EMLR exams earlier or later?

Yes. Additional details:

Taking exams earlier: You will still need to obtain the link for your exam from the relevant clerkship. The intent of the Mastery Learning rotation is that you budget your time for the different exams as needed, and you can choose to devote more studying where needed to master the content for each clerkship’s exam.

Delaying exams: You will need to notify your clerkship that you will need to delay your exam. You will then have to make up that exam during the week of ARCH 6 (near the end of August).

What should students do if they have EMLR scheduling issues?

While the scheduling is intended to be flexible for you to take advantage of asynchronous activities, remember that Page 2 of 3 activities for the clerkship you are in (including IDS 113 and FCM) should take precedence over COVID elective or other volunteer activities. If there are issues, please reach out to your clerkship or to Nikki Williams to let us know so we can help.

How are student voices being considered in the design of the Clinical Experience Rotation?

Student members of the Medical Education Student Council are part of the F2/Curriculum governance committee/working group to help design the Clinical Experience Rotation. Please reach out to Maria Castro, Alex Merriman, and Carmen Lee if you would like to be involved.

Why can’t students return to clerkships when clerkships are ready to have students?

This is a school-wide, rather than departmental decision. We need to preserve clinical sites to ensure that the rising fourth years and graduating class meet the clinical requirements they need to stay on track for graduation. For the F2 students, we have more flexibility to ensure that you will have all the clinical requirements you need to meet our graduation competencies and graduate.

Who makes the decision about bringing students back to the clinical sites earlier?

This is a decision made at the dean level in partnership with our clerkship and sub-internship directors. We want to ensure that 1) clinical environments have sufficient quantities of PPE and that student presence does not increase the risk to patients, themselves, or other healthcare professionals, and 2) that our graduating students and rising fourth year students have the opportunity to fulfill their sub-internship requirements.

Can we choose to shorten some clerkships over others to specialize in the clerkships of choice?

Our goal is to make sure that all students meet the core clinical experiences and learning objectives of the clerkships so that you can meet UCSF’s graduation competencies and graduate on time.

Clerkship directors are looking for opportunities where some clinical experiences and lectures may overlap to see if we can shorten some requirements where possible. However, we will not be shortening clerkships based on individual student specialty choice. You will have other opportunities for career exploration.

Will we have to make up clerkships/sessions missed?

Our goal is to develop alternatives that will help students graduate on time, meet all the graduation milestones, and minimize disruption to the match. This may include delivering didactics in advance of clinical activities and/or reducing the time of clinical activities.

In general, nationally, everyone is thinking more about competency based education. The competency-based model focuses on achieving the competency within a clerkship rather than focusing on the length of time in a clerkship. With many schools’ hiatus, there will be more variability in clerkships format and length, while ensuring that student achieve competence.

How is the school preparing for potentially having to pull students out of clinical environments if there’s a resurgence in the pandemic?

If COVID-19 cases increase, as is very possible, we will be well prepared. We will have learned a lot more about transmission of the virus, treatment of severe complications, and what it takes to institute required measures. Our supply chains will be more robust if that were to happen and we would still have access to testing. Thus our goal is that these preparatory steps minimize any risk that students would need to be pulled from rotations.

Foundations 1 - Updated May 18, 2020

Return in the Fall

Do students really need to return to San Francisco?

Yes, medical students should return to San Francisco because we are hopeful your curriculum will consist of a mix of remote and in-person learning. We do know it’s problematic to stay in San Francisco because of cost of living. We thought a great deal about whether this was necessary and decided we need you to get back into clinical experiences. This may mean small groups in Kanbar and preceptorships in clinical environments. We looked at many different approaches: Frontloading, backloading, delaying until January and settled on this hybrid approach as the most feasible way to support the public health pandemic and keep you moving forward.

Will incoming students also be moving to San Francisco this fall?

Yes, we will be advising first year medical students to secure housing in San Francisco. We also hope that they will be experiencing a mix of remote and on-campus learning.

If students who are in the same small group can conveniently get together face to face and connect into small group activities what would the school think about this?

We know that different counties are moving into different phases of reopening. These types of activities may be ok in the future, but we’ll need to treat any interaction with others appropriately: with proper physical distancing, face masks, etc.

Will in-person activities be deemed mandatory, or will there be options to participate fully in the curriculum remotely?

We are anticipating that your class will meet weekly in your coaching groups or preceptorships in person—not once or twice a quarter but most, if not all weeks. The only in-person activities that are being allowed to go forward are those where participating in these is deemed critical to making progress in the curriculum. These include essentials of physical exam skills, etc. Therefore, these sessions are mandatory.

We anticipate that the impact of COVID will last until a vaccine is readily available—and that may extend into 2021. Our plan for resuming in-person experiences that are essential to advancing you towards graduation has been designed to minimize risk as much as possible by providing PPE and limiting in person activities to small, stable groups of your classmates.

We understand that students may feel that this is not the right time to move forward with their participation in the curriculum, based on a variety of personal circumstances. Xavier Macy and others in SET are able to help with exploring options that are available.

Clinical Education

Does the school feel F1 students are prepared for F2 given the lack of hands-on skills training we had this year?

Faculty are already thinking forward to what will happen this fall to ensure that everyone has the skills necessary to meet the objectives at the end of F1. We have end of F1 milestones that everyone must meet. That allows us to do everything we’re doing now to redesign curriculum as needed to ensure that everyone has physical exam skills and history taking skills.

Is the plan for F2 to go back to clinicals on July 13?

Yes, unless we have something unanticipated between now and then. We plan to let people rejoin the wards at that time.

How will we continue to gain physical exam skills while we are learning remotely?

Students will continue to work on all patient care skills, including note writing and patient presentations, and this includes the physical exam. In the current setting, the observational parts of the physical exam are still able to be practiced and that will continue to be a part of the curriculum. Also, we are working on adjusting the remainder of the curriculum to maximize the impact of physical exam sessions when students return in the fall to make sure that everyone meets the end of F1 milestones and enters F2 prepared with the physical exam skills they need to succeed.

If you want to work clinically in the summer in the Bay Area (e.g. Chinatown hospital) what should we do?

Complete the External COVID Work and volunteer form and submit it to Lee Jones.

Will there be an ability to continue shadowing in preceptorships?

Our goal is to monitor the situation carefully and have some opportunities for preceptorships. We’re working to get parameters for availability of clinical sites. Priority will be given for those of you entering F2 because those are a critical part of your education.

What is happening with procedure and skills-oriented electives?

We will have to wait to get a better sense of the Kanbar’s capacity to see how they’re doing. We have to prioritize clinical skills education within the different health professions. We also have to take into account the state of the pandemic. All the electives have a faculty advisor and we’ll be working with faculty advisors so those will be your best initial contacts.

What is going on with the longitudinal programs (e.g., PISCES) for both class of 2022 and class of 2023?

We will provide information about LIC options relevant to your class at the same time we give updates on F2 in general, shortly after you return from summer break.

Summer Explore

Will my summer explore activities be cancelled?

Contact your summer explore faculty advisor and/or Inquiry advisor for guidance. This will be determined on a project-by- project basis as it really depends on what type of research you are doing. Your advisors are prepared to respond to projects as necessary to make them more conducive. A lot of investigators are talking about how to modify research projects in general such as doing a literature review or case review.

What resources are available for people who didn't receive explore funding? Are there alternative sources of funding for Summer Explore?

Many mentors are available, some may have more time since they're not seeing as many patients. Use labspot and UCSF profiles to find mentors. We recommend identifying 3-4 promising mentors Your inquiry advisor can help you narrow it down to someone who has worked with students and help you make a connection. Remember, students are a gift to faculty researchers. Ask your PIs or mentor if they have availability to use lab or research group funding. You will likely be surprised with the answer. You could also visit the Inquiry Funding Opportunities page to look for other partial funding.

What do we do if our Summer Explore project is patient-facing?

Check in with your mentor and the Inquiry team. Even if original project is put on hold, your faculty mentor might know people who have alternatives that aren't in person.

How has the IRB process been impacted?

The IRB process has not been significantly impacted. COVID projects are reviewed rapidly, but non-COVID proposals are being reviewed as well.

General Curriculum and Finances - Updated May 15, 2020

What should I do if I Have Issues Connecting to Remote Learning Opportunities?

UCSF is temporarily moving a lot of its instruction to remote learning. Has the school given any thought to tuition reduction/reimbursement?

Guidance from the UC Office of the President states that for all enrolled students, tuition and fees remain unchanged as the campus remains operational. The pandemic has forced the School to redesign the instructional methods we use to help you advance to graduation on time, but we have not stopped the curriculum. The online coursework and remote learning that students are/will be receiving (shelf exams, shelf exam preparation, didactics, lectures) are required components of course/clerkships—we have simply moved them to the front of the F2 year with the expectation that we can resume clinical training soon. For 4b students, you will be finishing your curriculum with CODA, as all UCSF classes before you have done but CODA will be administered differently—on line, due to circumstances beyond our and your control.

Tuition and fees for medical students cover approximately 1/3 of the cost of educating a medical student. The additional expense is covered by a small contribution from the State and a large contribution from the Dean that comes primarily from taxes on clinical revenue. A sample of the way that tuition and fees are used:

support for faculty and staff who design, re-engineer and implement the curriculum, the coaches who guide the students, and all Deans’ activities including our terrific student experience team

purchase and launch technology platforms that support the curriculum and provide additional resources

provide resources such as U World to help prepare you for licensing exams.

If you have unique financial circumstances and require additional support, please contact the Student Experience Team.

The grad school was able to repurpose funds for conference travel for grants to support remote learning. Is that something SOM can do as well?

We are happy to look into this. If anyone is in hardship because of remote learning, please let us know.

What is the status of the CARES Act?

We received a small amount of federal money to deal with COVID-19. Half was earmarked by the federal government for students other half is for student success. Half went to hire new student health personnel. The other half was released an hour ago and will be posted on the financial aid website in next 30 days. There are strict eligibility requirements based on financial needs and ended up being about $600 per eligible student. $30,000 was saved for emerging funds for students with emerging financial issues. If you feel you’re having a financial aid problem related to COVID, please let the financial aid office know and they will recalculate your financial aid budget.

What are other colleges and universities doing in the Bay area in the Fall?

You might have seen earlier this week California State University decided to go entirely to remote learning in the fall. The University of California system writ large has not yet made a decision. Because UCSF is a health professions and graduate-only campus, we’re unique in our commitment to advance students toward graduation each year. We believe the essential nature of replacing the workforce each year requires us to advance students toward graduation. Our approach, which is hybrid, which doesn’t bring a lot of people together in close quarters is the best way to both mitigate the pandemic and advance our students.

Why was the decision made to increase rents at UCSF student housing? And why was it made so quickly, without tenant input?

We have not heard about this. We will look into this and get back to you.

If, by May 26, we get word that we will NOT be going forward with physical learning, will we be compensated for our late cancellation of housing?

Housing has been very flexible and if a decision is reached that is out of control of the students, we will advocate on behalf of students.

Do we know when the library might reopen?

We do not know, but will communicate this as soon as we are aware.

How are students supposed to get connected to exercise equipment while the UCSF gym is closed? Is there an ability to advocate so student disability can help support purchasing of equipment that students need during the shelter-in-place?

Lack of access to gyms are a consequence of the pandemic. IN all reopening models, gyms are considered a higher risk for transmission because of density of equipment and because people visit for a prolonged period of time. We cannot support the use of common equipment during this time. Individuals with protected disabilities should discuss disability related concerns with the Student Disabilites Service.

Do you have any updates on the move to pass/fail for Step 1?

NBME announced they would be moving to a pass/fail Step 1 exam in 2022. The NBME has not been able to accelerate this timeline in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic as there are organizational challenges with making such a large-scale nationwide change.

Is there a way to give feedback on i-human?

We’re hosting ihuman as a pilot, it’s important to get your feedback. Send feedback to irocket@ucsf.edu. We will compile it and share it with the company and it will help us understand if it is a valuable resource.

Can we be reimbursed for library and gym fees since these facilities are closed?

You will not be charged for spring quarter gym fees. There are no separate library fees attributed to students. Although the library is physically closed, it is still open virtually and you able to access resources online. Students who are struggling financially should talk with Dean Jones and DQ Tran Taylor who can let you know what resources are available to help you get emergency loan help.

If students are considered essential, how are you supporting students’ food, financial needs, and parking that staff receive?

The designation of students as essential refers to the fact that all medical students are essential members of the health care team during their clinical rotations. It does not indicate that you are medical staff but rather students in advanced stages of training. Medical students always provide support to patient care activities while they are learning—that is the model of medical education. During the COVD-19 crisis, this designation enables our students to continue their medical education in clinical settings and advance toward graduation.

Food: Hospital cafeterias and food courts are still open. With the closure of the Medical Student Center, our Food Security Program is being managed electronically. Please email MedicalStudentCenter@ucsf.edu to request a food care package.

Transportation/Parking: If you are driving to Parnassus, the Parnassus parking lot is still free. We understand that students participating clinically during the Shelter in Place directive have a reduction in public transportation options. We are looking into alternatives to try to reimburse you for LYFT and Uber rides. While we work with campus to determine this possibility, if you have emergency financial needs, please contact DQ Tran-Taylor.

Does UCSF plan to graduate students early like NYU?

NYU students are graduating and being hired into a temporary position at NYU before they go into their matched positions as volunteers for EM and IM; the focus is on support of the surge.

It is feasible for students to graduate early from the UCSF perspective but it may not be advisable to the student unless the health systems in our midst are willing to hire them to do work—otherwise, they will be disadvantaged in housing, financial aid and health insurance if they are no longer students.

The Medical Board of California does not allow recent graduates of medical school to practice outside of an approved postgraduate training program.

Points 2 and 3 could be circumvented if there were a surge that required the State of California to mobilize because of an overwhelming number of patients. That hasn’t been the case here yet, but it might so we know what would have to be addressed and already are working on the bureaucracy of this.

At UCSF Health and ZSFG, there is already a strategy for reinforcing front line physicians using GME trainees and faculty from specialties that have not been as busy because their work usually focuses on elective surgeries and appointments rather than hospital work.

Lastly, there is a school of thought that it is better to hold graduating students back so that they arrive fresh into the epidemic in Jun/July rather than starting them early.

What opportunities exist for medical students in Governor Newsom’s Creation of a Healthcorps?

None at this time. The Healthcorps is looking for volunteers who have an MD.

Absolutely yes. We need to turn out the physicians our state and nation needs.

Is UCSF following the AAMC Guidelines issued on March 23?

We have been in close conversation with the AAMC about their guidance documents and they have expressed the view that the Dean of the School of Medicine in each medical school has the ultimate authority to make decisions about their educational programs. All of the University of California medical schools are in alignment with our approach. Each school is addressing their management of their medical education programs slightly differently, but we are all committed to the belief that continuing clinical training during this pandemic is essential to students’ education as future physicians.

We have redesigned our F2 clerkships and Career Launch rotations to provide third and fourth year students with options and/or alternative instructional methods to ensure that you are able to meet our graduation milestones, graduate on time, be prepared for internship, and abide by the guidance of our national bodies.

Can students can take calls through the COVID hotline as part of the COVID Workforce? For those of us with lab tech experience, is there an option to help out in any research studies that are pushing COVID research forward?

All of these are possibilities. We’re working with a group of your peers and the health system leadership at each of the major UCSF affiliates: ZSFG, UCSF Health at Mission Bay, SFVA to coordinate opportunities for medical student volunteers.

If the next weeks unfold with continuing or mounting uncertainty, will students be able to take a leave of absence without consequence?

The leadership is trying to manage that uncertainty by ensuring that students have options to continue to advance their education and move students toward graduation in a timely a manner as possible. However, there are valid reasons students may decide to take a Leave of Absence.

If you choose to go on a Leave of Absence. We will waive what is known as the M+2 rule. This is a rule that you must complete your curriculum in the number of years that your program was assigned to run e.g., 5 for JMP, 4 for most programs, 6 or 7 for MSTP prog, plus up to two maximum years. For the situation of COVID, we will waive that M+2 rule.

When would be the best time for students with non-traditional schedules, returned MSTPs, reach out to clarify unique circumstances?

What if we travel outside of the Bay Area and domestic travel is banned?

Check in with phase advisor (F1, F2, CL Advisors) to confirm if there are in-person things that require you to be in the Bay Area. Remember that the curriculum is continuing and requires a significant investment of time. If travel restrictions or quarantines prevent you from returning, please contact your phase advisor and we will work with you.

How can we maintain the social distancing when our resident workrooms have such close quarters and we have shared computers?

Resident conferences have been put on hiatus. Social distancing, while important, applies primarily to public settings, less to infection control in the hospital, where we rely on the hygienic practices within the hospital. Please practice good hygiene, wash your hands and avoid touching your face.

How is the school planning to create community for incoming class and what can F2 and career launch students do to help?

We’re working very hard on that. We’re redesigning our orientation program. The Student Experience Team will be reaching out to all students, and especially to current first year students who will be second year students next year, who have time to welcome and help integrate our new incoming students into our culture and campus.

How do Students increase loans if they are already at the UCSF budget cap?

Students should contact a financial aid advisor, Daniel Roddick or Jerry Lopez, to discuss your particular situation. If you run into difficulty, contact DQ Tran Taylor who can advocate on your behalf.

Updates by School of Medicine Phase

Please note that all information is accurate as of the dates noted below. For the latest, up-to-date information, please visit the UCSF COVID-19 website.